Windmill-coupling.



A. B. SWIFT.

WINDMILL COUPLING; APPLICATION FILED AUG.17, 1911.

1,070,205, Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

g :EEE Z 8 amemtoz A. B. SWIFT. WINDMILL GOQPLING. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 17, 1911.

Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ALVAH B. SWIFT, OF WASHINGTON, IOWA.

WINDMILL-COUPLING.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Application filed August 17, 1911. Serial No. 644,587.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, hLKAII B. SWIFT, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Vashington, in the county of Washington, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful In'iprovements in IVindmilL Couplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in coupling devices especially adapted for use in connection with the plunger and pump rods of a windmill.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a coupling for the purpose described which is so constructed that the same can be operated with ease and despatch when either coupling or uncoupling a pump rod from the plunger rod.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a coupling of the character described in which a novel construction of lever is employed for releasing the pin which connects the plunger and the pump rods.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling of the character described, which is composed of a minimum number of parts, is therefore simple in construction, and is cheap to manufacture.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claim hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction within the scope of the claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a detail side elevation showing the plunger and the pump rods connected by any improved coupling, Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the construction shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing parts in section, Fig. r is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is a detail perspective of the loi or end of the plunger rod, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the lever.

Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings 5 indicates the usual plunger rod of a windmill and attached to the lower end thereof by means of suitable screw 6 is a bearing element 7. This element comprises a wall 8 through which the screws 6 pass and longitudinal flanges 9-9 adapted to engage the opposite sides of the plunger rod 5. The lower end of the element is provided with a foot 10, which is offset in a direction opposite the plunger rod 5, and is preferably disposed below the end of the said plunger rod. Formed in said foot 10 is a vertical opening 11, and formed in the outer faces of the foot and communicating with said openings 11 is a transverse opening 12. The upper end of a pump rod 13 is adapted to be slidably mounted within the opening 11 of said foot and this end is formed with an opening it adapted to register with said openings 12.

In order to couple the plunger rod 5 and pump rod 13, there is provided a leaf spring 15, the upper end 16 thereof being secured to the plunger rod 5 by means of a bolt 17 or other means. This spring is outwardly bowed, and has its lower or free end 18 disposed adjacent the foot 10, and is formed with an opening 19 which registers with the opening 12 of said foot. Disposed within the opening 19 of the spring is a threaded pin 20, and associated with said pin on either side of the spring 15 are nuts 21-21. The inner end of the pin 20 is adapted to be disposed within the alined openings 12 and 14 of the foot and pump rod respectively. and thereby positively lock the parts together.

In order to release the pin 20 when it desired to uncouple the pm p rod. there is pivotally mounted, as at 22, upon the lower end of the plunger rod a hand lever 23. This lever is formed of flat metal, and has its central portion cut out, as indicated by 24, to form a laterally extending finger 2a, the free end thereof being bent upwardly to form a stop or guide 26. This finger is disposed in rear of the spring 15, and upon downward movement of said lever, the finger will frictiona-lly engage the free end portion of the spring, and thereby force the pin 20 out from the foot 10, as clearly shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

IVhat is claimed is:

In a coupling of the class described, the combination. with a plunger rod and a pump rod, the latter having a transverse opening in its upper end; of a bearing element secured to the lower end of the plunger rod and having a foot formed on its lower end and oiil'set in a direction opposite the plunger rod, said foot being formed with a vertical opening for receiving the upper end of the pump rod and a transverse opening coininunieating with the vertical opening, an outwardly bowed leaf spring connected at one end to the plunger rod above the foot of the bearing element, the free end of the spring being disposed opposite the transverse opening of the said foot, a pin carried by the free end of the spring for engaging in the transverse openings of the foot and the pump rod, and a lever fulcruined on the plunger rod and having a longitudinal slit and a lateral slit coacting therewith forming a tongue said tongue extending at right angles to the lever for engagement with the free end of the s urin to release the )in u Jon movement of said lever in one direction, and said tongue having its outer extremity bent to form astop to prevent undesired disengagement of the spring.

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ALVAH B. SVHFT. Witnesses J. O. BUM-1AM, G. L. GUSTER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

